Drysuit Repair

The seals on my O'neill dry suit are failing. They lasted three winters and are now starting to tear and leak. Bicycle tire patches are helping, but are only a temporary fix. I have heard that the seals can be replaced or repaired. Does anyone have experience or advice on this issue. Is it best to send the suit back to the manufacturer for repairs, or is there a better option?

You can send it back to O'neill or try a dive shop.

A couple of folks I ride with have had good results replacing the seals themselves.

I repaired mine last season. I did it the wrong way and then the right way. The wrong way is to cut the old seal off leaving about an inch of it still on the suit, and then glue the new seal over the remaining old seal. Glueing latex over latex will not hold. Instead you must completely remove the old seal and then glue the new seal to the fabic of the suit.

Replacing seals is really easy to do. All you need is a bowl or someting similar that will perfectly fit through the opening (sleeve or pant leg). It must fit snug. Next you slide the new seal in place. Then fold up about an inch of the bottom of the seal. Add latex cement to both the fabric and the seal. Then fold the seal back over the fabric. Let it dry 24 hours and you're good to go.

I bought my seals and cement directly from the manufacturer of my suit (Bare). They were pretty pricey; $80 for two ankle seals, a neck seal, and cement. Next time around I will check e-bay. I've seen seals on e-bay for much cheaper.

Don't be afraid! It's really much easier than it sounds. There's no reason to pay $150 + to have someone else do it for you.

Oh yeah, another tip......

For the ankle sleeves I used one of the those tiny toy basketballs to hold the sleeve tight so I could slide the seal over it. What I did was deflate the basketball, slide it in the sleeve, and then inflate it with a pump. This worked like a charm.

I've sent mine in to o'neill before. Try going through your local shop. They may be able to get it warrantied.

I just sent mine to Oneil because I blew out one of my ankle seals. A few days later they called me to get authorization for charges....$40 to replace both ankles at the same time. They're also replacing my neck seal for free because it looked like it might be going soon. My suit was out of warranty......they've been totally cool!!! Oneil rocks!!!!